MONZA, Italy -- Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya roared to the pole for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix with the fastest qualifying lap in Formula One history.

The Williams driver broke the 17-year-old record set by Finland's Keke Rosberg, also in a Williams, at Silverstone in 1985 by lapping the Monza circuit near Milan at an average speed of 259.827 kph.

	Juan Pablo Montoya celebrates his seventh pole of the season Saturday in Monza.

Rosberg's record was 259.005 kph, or 160.938mph.

Montoya, unfussed as ever, greeted the news with a familiar shrug of the shoulders on a day when even a passionate crowd could not push Ferrari to the top slot at their home track Saturday.

Michael Schumacher, the Italian team's five-time world champion and winner of a record 10 races this year, was 0.257 of a second slower and had to settle for second place on the grid.

"I think it's pretty good," Montoya said. "But probably next year it is going to be beaten again. It's about two seconds a lap quicker than last year so it's pretty impressive, I've got to say."

Montoya, triumphant from the pole last year for the first victory of his Formula One career, has yet to win this season but has now secured seven poles in 15 races and 10 in his 32 career races.

"I think the chances, compared to the other races, are pretty good," he said. "We have to wait and see what happens but the car is working very well here and things can play into our hands a little bit."

His time of one minute 20.264 seconds was also well inside his 2001 pole of 1:22.216, suggesting Sunday's race could set more records as the fastest since F1 started in 1950.

Monza holds the current record, with Briton Peter Gethin winning in a BRM in 1971 at an average speed of 150.76mph (242.61kph).

BMW, Williams's partners, said the lap also marked a new stage of engine development with both its cars breaking the threshold of 19,000 revolutions per minute for the first time. At the start of last season it was 17,000.

Montoya and teammate Ralf Schumacher looked like they were ready to sweep Ferrari from the front row before Michael forced his car to the front with five minutes remaining.

Ralf will start on the second row alongside Ferrari's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in what promises to be a high-speed battle between Ferrari and Williams.

Ralf held the pole for a while before Montoya and then Michael went faster.

"It was very tight today, it's just that I made a mistake on my third run," said the German. "But I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I think it's a good chance for us."

Kimi Raikkonen, in a McLaren, was fifth quickest ahead of Briton Eddie Irvine in a Jaguar but their positions were reversed when the Finn was held responsible for a collision near the end of the session.

Irvine's position was his best of the season and signified a marked improvement for Jaguar after a troubled recent past.

"We are very much on the pace," he said. "Getting points is more than a possibility tomorrow."

Raikkonen and Japan's Takuma Sato collided as the Jordan was trying to overtake on a flying lap.

Both cars were badly damaged in the incident at the second chicane and the session was halted as marshals cleared up the debris.

"Takuma did not get a good lap and then on his last run there was the incident with Raikkonen, who was on out-lap, which was absolutely absurd," said Jordan director of race and test engineering Gary Anderson. "I think we should give him some of our wing mirrors because he obviously needs them."

Sato exchanged angry words with McLaren boss Ron Dennis afterwards.

At the back of the grid, Minardi's Malaysian Alex Yoong returned after failing to qualify for the German Grand Prix in July and then being substituted for the next two.

Yoong, who made his debut at Monza last year, qualified comfortably albeit more than a second slower than Australian teammate Mark Webber.